NBA Draft: Re-drafting the historic 2009 NBA Draft

The 2008-09 Philadelphia 76ers ranked dead last in 3-point field goal percentage. Given that their roster included the likes of Andre Miller, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and Willie Green, it’s not hard to see why they struggled from deep.

Adding one sharpshooter to the roster wouldn’t have turned the 76ers into current day Golden State Warriors, but even in the still-sluggish late 2000s, a modicum of floor spacing would’ve helped out Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand.

The actual pick Philadelphia made at 17 — selecting Jrue Holiday, who made an NBA All-Star team with the 76ers before they traded him away to kickstart their “Process” — but since that wouldn’t be an option in this scenario, bolstering their perimeter by taking Swedish stretch four Jonas Jerebko makes the most sense here.

Jerebko didn’t receive the pomp and circumstance that fellow international prospects Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings, but most pundits saw him as a good rotational piece. Here’s what ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said about him prior to the draft:

"Jerebko is a versatile small forward in the Luke Walton mold. He is an excellent passer, an underrated defender and more athletic than he looks. An improving outside shot and a body that is filling out along with two seasons of solid playing experience in one of Europe’s top leagues makes him an intriguing prospect and a good value for teams in the second half of the first round."

It took a couple of years, but Jerebko eventually refined that 3-point shot, shooting 38.5 percent from his fourth year on. Sounds the exact player the Sixers should have zeroed in on if Holiday wasn’t on the board.